


Frozen

by beautifulmidnight



Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Dysfunctional Relationships, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-18
Updated: 2013-05-18
Packaged: 2017-12-12 05:08:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/807624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beautifulmidnight/pseuds/beautifulmidnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ada Wong keeps her promise to Leon Kennedy and pays Claire Redfield a visit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Frozen

**Author's Note:**

> This work is sort of a sequel to 'Bad Penny'. It's not necessary to read 'Bad Penny' before reading 'Frozen' but it'll give Ada's reason for visiting Claire a bit more depth.

Ada Wong walked through the sunny suburban neighborhood, watching children play in their yards behind the safety of a white picket fence. The lawns were green and well-manicured, the mailboxes shiny and reflective in the midday sun. Cheerful flowers were growing everywhere and the gardeners were watering them with the spray from lime-green hoses. Minivans filled the driveways and dogs sat barking on the porches. It was almost sickening how everything was so normal.

She put her sunglasses on, shielding the sadness in her eyes. Maybe at one point, this could have been her life. Getting married, settling down, raising a family...it seemed all so surreal and very far away. It was a distant dream that would be forever out of reach. But the other part of her felt relieved that this wasn't her life. To be tied down, denied the freedom to come and go as she pleased, didn't appeal to her. Neither did driving a minivan. And children? She couldn't see herself being a soccer mom no matter how hard she tried.

She turned a corner and the sidewalk went from being smooth and perfect to gravelly and broken. Her glossy red high heels kicked up the stones, sending them skittering across the road and down the storm drain. The flowers faded away to weeds the closer she got to her destination, and the houses and driveways were devoid of vehicles and children. In just a few short steps she left the comfortable suburban neighborhood to a part of town that was on its way down. Even the sun appeared to be much less bright.

"What a contrast," Ada murmured.

Then she found the house she was looking for. It didn't match the rest of the neighborhood, but it didn't quite fit in with the yuppie paradise of the other neighborhood either. The house was clean and well-kept, no paint peeling off the siding or nasty cobwebs on the porch. The lawn was mowed but no flowers, dead or otherwise, were anywhere to be found. Two plastic mailboxes stood side by side on the walk, one labeled 'V' and the other 'R-K'.

The one car driveway was home to a Harley motorcycle, its mirrors and metal piping gleaming in the rays of the afternoon sun. The license tag read, 'MDNHVN'.

"No doubt, I have the right house," she said to herself. "Let's get this over with."

She slid her hand in her blazer's pocket and squeezed the dog tags that lay within. She didn't want to do this, but something compelled her. It wasn't because of Leon, that was for sure. If she remembered correctly, little Miss Claire Redfield wasn't a bad person to deal with, so maybe things would go smoother than she anticipated.

She approached the door and a ragged-looking welcome mat with red droplets covering it sat on the stoop.

"I do hope that's paint," she said, quickly pressing the doorbell.

She waited. And waited. She almost felt like shoving the dog tags in one of the mailboxes and getting the hell out of there, but she knew that wasn't right. Maybe she could come back at another time, even though she had no idea when that would be. Before she turned to go, the door opened wide.

"Ada...Ada Wong?"

Ada smiled. Claire Redfield looked much older than she originally thought. Her copper colored hair was loose and flowing down her shoulders, and she wore black worn jeans with a hole in one of the knees with no shoes. Her top was a simple black corset that showed off her toned midriff, and a little bow accented the center of her cleavage. Around her neck was a set of dog tags, and a diamond ring was on her left hand.

Claire stopped reaching for what Ada guessed was a weapon, and instead just stood in the doorway, staring at her, completely agape.

"What are you doing here?" Claire asked, her pink glittery lips crinkling into a frown. Her grey-blue eyes narrowed and her stance went from relaxed to defensive.

"Do you always greet your guests this way?" Ada removed her sunglasses and stepped inside the house.

"I...don't remember inviting you in," Claire noted. There was no venom in her voice; she was only stating a fact. Ada liked that.

"As much as I love to have conversations in public, I felt this visit needed more discretion," she explained with a shrug.

"Fine," Claire sighed, closing the door behind her. "Can I get you something to eat, something to drink?"

Ada smiled. "Mineral water with lemon, if you have it."

"Sure thing. I'll be right back. Um...have a seat on the couch. Make yourself at hom--er, make yourself comfortable."

Claire left for the kitchen and Ada casually entered the living room, taking a seat in a black leather recliner. It reeked of Old Spice and sweat, and Ada sat forward to avoid the smell. She crossed her legs and waited patiently for Claire to return.

The living room was simple, Ada noticed. A fireplace, large TV, couch, coffee table, and the recliner she currently sat in filled the room up to capacity, but it still felt like a comfortable and relaxed living space. There were framed and unframed photos decorating the walls, and one in particular caught Ada's eye. The photo was of Claire and Leon sharing a kiss in a photo booth.

"Here we are," Claire set down a tray with a large glass pitcher of water. Huge lemon slices covered in tiny, fizzy bubbles wrapped themselves around huge chunks of ice, and Ada's mouth watered. She hadn't realized how thirsty she was until now. Claire poured the drink and passed it to her. Ada drank politely, though she had the urge to gulp it down. The water was cold, crisp, and fresh.

"Now that you're refreshed, why are you here?"

Ada half-smiled, putting the now empty glass down. "Straight to the point, I like that."

Claire waited.

The beautiful agent reached into her pocket, pulling the dog tags out slowly. After they were out of her pocket completely, she dropped them on the coffee table. "Leon sends his love."

Claire stiffened. With trembling fingers, she picked up the tags and squeezed them within her fist. She held them against her heart and drew in a sharp breath. She closed her eyes to shut out the tears threatening to fall and asked, "What happened?"

"Leon had been on vacation when--" she began.

"Never mind," Claire cut her off. "I don't want to hear it from you. You can go now."

Ada softened. Clearly, Claire was more attached to Leon that she had originally thought. Ada felt sad for a moment, briefly wondering why she was at Claire's house in the first place. She glanced at Claire's ring.

"You love him a lot, don't you." Not a question, but a statement.

"I do," Claire replied quietly. She opened her eyes and looked at Ada, her attention fully focused on the agent's face. "But you do as well."

Slightly shocked at the bluntness of Claire's words, Ada shifted uncomfortably in the recliner. It wasn't often that she experienced moments of complete unease. With her job, nothing made her skin crawl anymore. Nothing shocked or confused her. But this...

She licked her lips before speaking. "Maybe. I care about him a great deal, I will admit, but love? I'm not so sure. I don't care to think on it."

"He cares about you."

"Does he now?" she raised an eyebrow, her lips twisting in a smirk.

"Yes. Sometimes I wonder if he'd be happier with you," Claire bit her lip, turning her focus to the ring on her finger.

"Would he? I doubt it."

Claire looked at the beautiful Asian woman in disbelief.

"What of my happiness? Ever think of that?" Ada questioned.

"I--don't understand. I thought you two--" Claire stopped.

"Thought that we...what? Don't get me wrong, Care Bear," Claire noticed she said the name with a note of condescension, "I would love to be with a man like Leon. I care about him more than I would like to admit, he's handsome, and we have a history together, but do you really think we have a future?"

The younger Redfield cleared her throat. "You--you might. You don't know if you don't try."

"Perhaps I don't want to try. I have a feeling it would end badly for one of us. Maybe even both of us. Why are you planting such thoughts in my head? Don't you love Leon? Don't you want to marry him?"

The redhead leaned forward to rest her chin in her hands. "I just want Leon to be happy. I mean, he says he's happy with me and everything but...I don't know. I don't doubt he loves me, I'm the insecure one in the relationship it seems..." she trailed off. "I...well...You see, I don't know if you've ever felt this way, but I've always believed that everyone deserves to be happy. If it would make Leon happier to be with you, I wouldn't stand in the way. Because when you truly love someone, you want them to be happy, even if it they aren't with you."

Ada digested Claire's words. How could one individual be so good? How could someone become so idealistic and earnest? For a moment, Ada was jealous. She had never been 100% good, but she had never been 100% bad either. She had always walked the thin line that separated good and bad. The decisions she made, although not exactly moral, always worked themselves out in the end, but she wasn't a girl scout by any means. Claire was.

Which was perfect for boy-scout-good-Leon.

Plus, Ada knew she couldn't be the person Claire was. It wasn't her nature. She liked who she was, and was proud of the things she had accomplished. She wasn't the type to settle down, and even though she thought about it wistfully sometimes, being married and having kids was something that she couldn't do. Her life was dangerous, but it was also interesting. She didn't want to give that up.

Life with Leon...a normal life...it didn't seem right to her. She could picture them having one night love affairs when they would bump into each other, but it wouldn't develop into anything more. She wouldn't want it to. She would be satisfied with that kind of relationship, but Leon wouldn't. He would worry about her, try to protect her, check up on her, and then he'd start playing the role of boyfriend...what could be more annoying than that?

"Are you okay?"

Ada shook her head. How long had she been sitting there, staring off into space?

"I'm fine," she replied.

Claire put the dog tags around her neck and turned away, choosing to stare out the window.

"Are you okay?" Ada asked softly, her voice almost a whisper.

"I don't know," Claire said after a moment. "I wish Leon was here."

Ada said nothing for a few seconds, then began, "I wish things were simple for everyone, but they're not. Lots of things, especially relationships, are complicated. Leon may think he knows me better than anyone, but the truth is he's only uncovered a few layers."

"You make it sound like you're an onion. Onions have layers too, and the more layers you uncover, the more stinky it gets," Claire turned her nose up.

"Just what are you trying to say? That my personality gets more fucked up the more someone gets to know me?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You can see how someone like myself would draw that kind of conclusion."

"Sure," Ada scoffed.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Claire stood up and smoothed her jeans. "I'll be back in a moment, excuse me."

Ada nodded as Claire left the room. Not even thirty seconds had gone by and she heard the door creak open and a loud gasp.

"Leon!"

Ada's eyes widened and she got up immediately, grabbing her water glass. She walked briskly to the kitchen, hoping her heels wouldn't be too loud on the linoleum. She was counting on there being a back door she could use to escape. Hell, even a window would do. She ditched her glass in the sink along with some other dirty dishes, letting the soapy water wash away her lipstick. She saw a back door was blocked off by some trash bags and she hurriedly pushed them aside with the heel of her shoe. She was halfway out the back door when a female voice cried,

"Ada wait!"

Ada paused, knowing full well she should've kept going. But something in Claire's voice made her stop. The agent turned around and saw Claire running at her full speed. She then did something that made Ada wonder if she was dreaming or hallucinating.

She hugged her. When Claire pulled back, tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier, about you."

Still in disbelief, Ada could only nod.

"And...thank-you...for helping Leon and keeping him safe. I don't approve of some of the things you've done, but Leon's right. You do have good in you. I'm sorry that I let my jealousy cloud my judgment."

The instances in which Ada cried were few and far between, and it usually took the worst of things happening for the tears to fall. But right now, she struggled to hold back the tears and the sobs that threatened to take hold of her body.

"Claire...thank-you."

"You're welcome," she sniffled.

"Don't tell Leon I was here," she said firmly.

With that, she ran. She disappeared around the house across the street, and that was the last Claire ever saw of her.

~

"So who was outside?" Leon asked, taking off his black leather jacket.

"Just some kid who lost his ball over the fence," she lied.

Leon frowned. "But you're crying."

"Yeah, I hit my toe on the back door, trying to get out. You know how that door gives me problems."

"I'm sorry sweetheart," he walked over to her and embraced her tightly and kissing her forehead. He sniffed. "It smells like sandalwood in here."

"Oh it's, um, some air freshener I found in Jill's room. The garbage was stinking up the whole house, even after I took it out. Doesn't it smell good?"

"Yeah..." he replied, the look in his eyes distant.

"Enough questions. Let's go wash that dye out of your hair and see if we can salvage that awful haircut. You look like a Calvin Klein ad, Leon."

"Go ahead and start the shower. I'll be up in a minute. I need a drink."

"Okay."

He went into the kitchen and opened a cabinet to get a glass, but none were to be found. He sighed and went over to the sink, grabbing the cup on top, ready to rinse it. Before he turned on the faucet, he noticed there was a deep red lipstick imprint on the rim. He put it down and tried to remember if Claire had on two sets of dog tags. She did.

"Claire," he called out.

"Yeah?"

"Where'd you find my dog tags?"

"Oh, they were in one of the mailboxes outside!"

"Mailbox, huh?" he said to himself. "I doubt that sincerely."

Ada had been here, and Claire was covering it up. Ada had probably told her to say that she had never been here if Leon asked, and obviously Claire was complying with her wishes. Why?

"Women," he muttered, tossing the glass back in the sink.


End file.
